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Faun Town – ReviewHere in the West, the vast majority of video games that reach us from Asia still hail from Japan. While we don’t expect the gravity point of this to shift any time soon, we have seen a notable increase in Chinese games in recent years. Games like Genshin Impact or Biped, published by large corporations like MiHoYo and Tencent, have seen success with Western players. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that smaller Chinese developers are hoping to find an audience here as well. Case in point: 游乐坊, which has just released its farming sim Faun Town on Steam, courtesy of publisher 2P Games. Does Faun Town have what it takes to compete with the big boys? Story A short series of comic book panels sets up Faun Town’s story. Given that the speech bubbles in these panels are in Chinese, we wouldn’t be able to tell you what is being said, however. It’s not a real issue, as Faun Town’s premise is paper-thin, and once the game gets going, it’s easy enough to figure out what is going on. Our protagonist, the Doctor, has crash-landed his spaceship. In a twist nobody ever could’ve seen coming, he is now suffering from amnesia. Fortunately, he’s taken in by a kind old man, who decides to leave his derelict farm to our space-faring hero. It doesn’t take long for the Doctor to find his spaceship, as it is pretty much right next to the old farmhouse. The ship’s AI tasks the Doctor with repairing the ship. In order to get the parts needed, the Doctor will need to farm resources, craft materials, and trade with the local villagers. The sci-fi angle makes for a nice diversion from the standard “letter from a deceased relative” premise, but otherwise, Faun Town hits every cliché you’d expect. Graphics We wouldn’t be surprised if Faun Town’s pixel art visuals were simply thrown together from pre-existing assets from various sources. The game suffers from a lack of visual consistency, with some sprites looking highly detailed while others somehow look like they were made in a lower resolution. Faun Town lacks a visual identity as a result. The game also takes place across different biomes, although no real care was put into making these match their descriptions. The opening area is supposedly a jungle, but it resembles a sparse forest at best. The final nail in Faun Town’s visual coffin is that on-screen text is often cut off from the screen, with no way that we could find to fix this. Sound It’s probably not surprising that Faun Town’s soundscape suffers from the same shortcomings as the game’s visuals. The game’s sound effects are as generic and repetitive as it gets, and voice acting is expectedly absent. The soundtrack is lacking in variety, with a droning piano tune that keeps repeating over and over. We wouldn’t be surprised if the music was a free-to-use, license-free track rather than something specifically composed for Faun Town, as it doesn’t fit with the atmosphere of a farming sim at all. Gameplay In terms of gameplay, Faun Town presents itself as a jack of all trades, but a master of none. At its core, this is a classic farming sim in the same vein as Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons. Taking control of the Doctor, players can take on a myriad of mundane tasks to turn their humble farm into a thriving agricultural enterprise. On top of this tried-and-tested foundation, Faun Town then adds a Factorio-like automation system for your farm as well as a combat system that seems to have been inspired by Plants vs. Zombies. On paper, either of those additional systems has fantastic crossover potential with the farming sim genre. Unfortunately, Faun Town bites off more than it can chew and tries to cram too many ideas into a single game. The result, like the visuals, story, and audio, comes across as cobbled together rather than as something with a focused, single identity. For what it’s worth, Faun Town at least understands the core mechanics of a farming sim. Gathering resources and processing them is simple and intuitive. You chop down trees to gather wood, then use your workbench to turn said wood into planks. You can mine for ore and refine it, harvest seeds from wild plants, and catch fish. It’s standard stuff for anyone who has ever played a farming sim. This level of accessibility is a necessity because Faun Town’s in-game explanations aren’t very good. This could be chalked up to the poor translation. Still, the game goes into too much detail about some things and fails to explain some other basic mechanics. Like many farming sims, your character only has so much energy and will need to recover this. In Faun Town, this is done by eating, but the game doesn’t explicitly tell you HOW you can eat. We found out by accident that you need to right-click on the food item of choice, but this is the kind of thing you should be told directly. Compared to other farming sims we’ve played, Faun Town’s basic tasks are slow and tedious. This might be by design, as the idea is that you eventually automate them through robots, but this is a painstakingly time-consuming process. It doesn’t help that the game can only be played with a keyboard and doesn’t support controller inputs. Placing items and planting seeds on the grid-based map is a needlessly tedious and inaccurate process. It’s already frustrating enough when you accidentally select the wrong square when tending to your crops, but this is amplified when it comes to combat. Throughout your run, you’ll obtain so-called Xeno seeds. At night, monsters come out and will attack you on sight. You can use Xeno seeds to instantly spawn plants that will fight back against monsters. Positioning is important here, but with Faun Town’s inaccurate grid placement, this didn’t make for a very enjoyable set of mechanics. This perfectly illustrates Faun Town’s biggest issue. There are too many ideas here, and they are poorly implemented. A more focused game, that either perfects the ‘farming meets tower defense’ or a ‘turn a farm into an efficient factory’ angle, would’ve been far more enjoyable than this shallow mess. Conclusion To its credit, Faun Town tries to break away from the classic farming sim formula by layering additional gameplay on top. The issue here is that the game can’t decide what it wants to be. The gameplay is shallow and tedious, and the keyboard controls are iffy. It doesn’t help that there is a lack of audiovisual identity. While we appreciate the sci-fi hook of Faun Town’s premise, the story itself is held together by familiar tropes and clichés. It’s as if developer 游乐坊 simply threw things at the wall to see what would stick, but just ended up with a very messy wall.
Apr 26
Preview: Saintess of the Golden Bow Otome Channels Isekai Stories
With how many otome isekai manga and anime there are, it’s a little surprising there are so few games about the topic. Transparent Games and Error 300 are attempting to assist with that with Saintess of the Golden Bow , which is fully funded on Kickstarter and still seeking support. In this case, it’s inspired by Korean web novels and comics, and it really feels like it tries to follow the lead of similar stories that came before it.
Like many isekai shojo series, the Saintess of the Golden Bow otome begins with someone getting hit by a truck. Celine is a 21-year-old office woman and bit of a loner who enjoyed games, web novels, and web comics. She’s crossing the street in the rain after work, thinking about the fantasy stories she loves, when we have a “truck-kun” moment. She’s run over and wakes up in a forest as Celeste.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw15nQnwS4g&ab_channel=TransparentGames
There’s a bit of a twist, however. The Korean web novel Celine is reincarnated into is a boy’s love one. The character she is now, Celeste, was supposed to die in these opening moments to set up the tragic backstory for her knight Levi, who would become the Saint of the Golden Bow. However, Celine has some archery skills and so does Celeste. She uses that to kill the demon that would have killed her. This means when the trial comes to find the person picked by the gods to wield the bow and face the Demon Queen, Celeste/Celine is actually picked.
It makes for some interesting moments and takes on the genre. While Celine is familiar with Celeste’s fate and the course of the story from the one she read in her world, things aren’t going to go like that in this Saintess of the Golden Bow isekai. The one she read with as boys love story. Levi was initially madly in love with Celeste, but is bisexual and had potential love interests in Prince Noah and Elijah the priest after she died. Since Celeste didn’t die, Levi is still as infatuated with her as ever. It also means that as the saintess now, Noah and Elijah are having the interactions they initially had with Levi with her.
While it’s a bit awkward, since the setup suggests that Levi and Noah were supposed to end up together, I did appreciate some ways in which this is approached early on. Since Celine also inherited Celeste’s emotions and memories, it means she’s aware of how she felt about Levi. The original Celeste was overwhelmed and uncomfortable since he was of a lower station and her knight, and she actually tried to fix him up with other men and women. There’s also the notion that Celine/Celeste isn’t really sure what pairings might happen, even as she starts to fall for and experience some romantic moments with Levi, Noah, and Elijah.
Images via Transparent Games and Error 300
One thing I didn’t expect, both from this build and the game, is the level of voice acting. In some scenes, there is voice acting for the leads. The casting seems really well done for an indie otome like this! The art direction is rather good too, though I will say that in the case of some of the CGs I’ve seen, it seems like there’s a big difference between the portraits you see during conversations and those scenes, and it’s a little awkward sometimes. The quality on the portraits and CGs are all good! Just sometimes not as similar as I’d expect.
Saintess of the Golden Bow seems like it could be interesting, and the otome game is definitely following the same sort of narrative path as the Korean web comic and novel isekai stories that inspired it. The voice acting is solid. There are occasionally insightful elements to the script. I do wish the character portraits looked a little more like the CG designs, but the quality is generally good! It looks like a promising dating sim.
Saintess of the Golden Bow is in development for PCs, a demo is available on Steam , and the Kickstarter ends on April 20, 2025.
The post Preview: Saintess of the Golden Bow Otome Channels Isekai Stories appeared first on Siliconera .
Apr 18
Light of Motiram Showcases Gameplay in Outcast Forest With Latest TrailerThe latest trailer for Light of Motiram also shows off plenty of gameplay, both against normal enemies as well as boss fights.
Apr 18
Final Fantasy XI Feast of Swords Returns in April
Square Enix announced the next Final Fantasy XI event is the Feast of Swords, and it seems like the 2025 edition may be identical to past iterations of the FFXI seasonal activity. It always happens around the second half of April and beginning of May, starting from its 2005 debut. This time, we can take part between April 22, 2025 and May 10, 2025.
To start the Feast of Swords, you need to talk to a Moogle in one of six locations to get an Ibushi Shinai. Here are the spots where you’ll find them:
Bastok Markets (G-8)
Bastok Mines (H-9)
Northern San d’Oria (D-8)
Southern San d’Oria (J-9)
Windurst Waters (F-5)
Windurst Woods (K-10)
Once you have that sword, you need to visit another Moogle to imbue it with magic so you can fight the armor enemies, such as the Omodaka Armor, and earn points for your assault. To start that second portion and enter into the fight, you need to go to one of the NPC mascots at the places below:
Batallia Downs (K-8)
East Ronfaure (G-6)
East Sarutabaruta (G-11)
Jugner Forest (I-8)
Konschtat Highlands (I-6)
La Theine Plateau (J-8)
Meriphataud Mountains (E-5)
North Gustaberg (L-8)
Pashhow Marshlands (K-6)
Rolanberry Fields (K-5)
Sauromugue Champaign (E-5)
South Gustaberg (L-8)
Tahrongi Canyon (I-6)
West Ronfaure (I-6)
West Sarutabaruta (J-8)
As in the past, after beating the enemies, you need to trade your points to the character remaining with a “???” overhead. You’ll then get a reward.
The announcement didn’t specify which rewards will be part of the 2025 Feast of Swords event in Final Fantasy XI. However, if it follows past patterns, we have an idea of what it might involve. In the past, the amount of points earned would sometimes influence what we’d get. So some of the lower-rank items would be Elvaan, Galka, Hume, or Tarutaru Mochi. Some of the better rewards in the past included a Shobuhouou Kabuto, Hardwood Katana, and Katana-kazari.
Final Fantasy XI is available on PCs, and the Feast of Swords event runs in FFXI between April 22, 2025 and May 10, 2025. Other updates, including new single-player options, are planned for the game for 2025.
The post Final Fantasy XI Feast of Swords Returns in April appeared first on Siliconera .
Apr 16
Honor of Kings launch ‘Protect Nature, Protect All Life’ event as part of Green Game Jam 2025Honor of Kings is taking a green step forward with a new global event called Protect Nature, Protect All Life as part of the Green Game Jam 2025 initiative. Organized by Playing For the Planet, you will get to learn about forest conservation while unlocking cool in-game rewards. A free Legendary Sakeer skin is available …
The post Honor of Kings launch ‘Protect Nature, Protect All Life’ event as part of Green Game Jam 2025 appeared first on GamingonPhone .
Apr 6
825 Forest Road ReviewStodgy paranormal thriller doesn’t boast enough character or intensity to reach the heights of its director’s Hell House movies.
Apr 5
How to find and beat Mizutsune in Monster Hunter Wilds
The first major Monster Hunter Wilds update is here, bringing a wide array of new features, including new weapons, armor sets—and above all else, the arrival of MH Generations' Mizutsune.
But how exactly can you unlock both the regular and tempered versions of the monster? Here's how to find and beat Mizutsune in Monster Hunter Wilds .
Table of contents
How to unlock the Mizutsune hunt in Monster Hunter Wilds
How to find and unlock the Tempered Mizutsune
How to beat Mizutsune in MH Wilds
All Mizutsune armor recipes
How to unlock the Mizutsune hunt in Monster Hunter Wilds
You can unlock Mizutsune in Monster Hunter Wilds by completing the Spirit in the Moonlight mission . The mission will become available once you reach Hunter Rank 21 and can be triggered by talking to Kanya at the Scarlet Forest Base Camp after completing Fishing Life, in Microcosm.
Image by Destructoid
How to find and unlock the Tempered Mizutsune
After completing Spirit in the Moonlight, you can then unlock the ability to spot and hunt the Tempered Mizutsune by reaching Hunter Rank 41 . I was, however, only able to find the Tempered version of the monster in Ruins of Wyveria.
Image by Destructoid
How to beat Mizutsune in MH Wilds
Image by Destructoid
Like in Generations , spatial awareness is a must when facing Mizutsune in MH Wilds , as the monster pairs its highly aggressive moveset—composed of tail spins, lunges, and jet streams—with the ability to constantly let out damaging bubbles capable of applying both Waterblight and Bubbleblight. The effects of Waterblight can be cancelled by rolling around or using a Nulberry, while Bubbleblight can be cured by using a Cleanser. While enraged, the monster becomes capable of also applying Fireblight, which will eat away your HP until removed.
I know the above can be overwhelming, but don't worry—the Mizutsune is weak to Ice, Dragon, and Electric, and can be countered by aiming at its head while making use of Cut and Blunt weapons.
Image by Destructoid
Being aggressive is also key here, since most of Mizutsune's big attacks can be easily telegraphed even when up close. Just make sure to respect its bubbles and jets, as a Tempered Mizutsune can easily one-shot even the most prepared hunter by pairing its heavy damage and its effects. If you want a bigger layer of protection, equipping water-resistant armor sets can also help a lot.
All Mizutsune armor recipes
Like all other big monsters in the game, you can craft both Alpha and Beta versions of the Mizusune armor set in Monster Hunter Wilds . The High Rank sets will become available after facing Mizutsune for the first time, and each of its parts can be crafted by using the materials below:
Mizutsune Helm : Five Mizutsune Scale+, three Bubblefoam+, and two Piragill Fin+
Mizutsune Mail : Two Mizutsune Cerfificate S, two Mizutsune Claw+, five Mizutsune Fin+, and one Wyvern Gem
Mizutsune Coil : One Mizutzune Cerfificate S, five Mizutsune Purplefur+, three Mizutsune Claw+, and two Torrent Sac
Mizutsune Greaves : One Mizutzune Cerfificate S, four Mizutsune Scale+, four Bubblefoam+, and one Mizutsune Water Orb
As a true hunter never forgets their loyal companions, you can also craft the full Alpha Mizutsune Palico set by expending one Mizutsune Claw+ for the Parasol, one Mizutsune Scale+ for the suit, and one Mizutsune Purplefur+ for the Feline Mizutsune Kasa.
The post How to find and beat Mizutsune in Monster Hunter Wilds appeared first on Destructoid .
Apr 4
Share of the Week: Assassin’s Creed Shadows – LandscapesLast week, we asked you share the epic landscapes of feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: irmarie_diaz shares Naoe riding a horse through agricultural fields in the fall. visualcam9 shares Naoe wandering through cherry blossoms RivalsUniverse shares sunlight streaming through a bamboo forest DexM_ds shares Naoe perched […]
Apr 4
Brawl Stars Cordelius Guide: Tips and tricks to master the new brawlerCordelius is a new chromatic brawler who was introduced to the game Brawl Stars as part of the Season 19, Enchanted Woods update. He is a gardener and caretaker of Enchanted Forest, who is obsessed with mushrooms and is hostile towards strangers. In this guide, we will take a closer look at the abilities of Cordelius …
The post Brawl Stars Cordelius Guide: Tips and tricks to master the new brawler appeared first on GamingonPhone .
Apr 4
Sugardew Island – ReviewA cozy game is the perfect way to unwind after a long day. Even more so when farming and cute animals are involved. Sugardew Island is a farming sim in which farming is an all-consuming activity. In order to achieve the greater goal of the game, you need to sell products, and to sell products in your shop, you need to grow them. So if you love farming games and want nothing more from your gaming experience, then this game is perfect for you. But if you want more, you might want to sit this one out, and here’s why. Story Sugardew Island’s story is rather simple, as it’s just the island’s history and that’s it. There’s no in-depth story that unfolds once your character sets foot on the island, and there are no interesting side characters to meet. In Sugardew Island, your character is shipwrecked on a nearly deserted island. The island is inhabited by the Harmony Tree, forest folk, and nature spirits. A quick note here: you will be able to romance the latter later on, which is a fun addition to the game, but unfortunately, no deep relationship develops, and it remains rather shallow. Anyway, in a small hut, you’ll also meet Tomte, the island trader and pretty much your only real ally in the game. He explains the history of the island and how it became deserted. Inside the island is the Harmony Tree, which is overgrown with thorns. The island was once a place of harmony between the forest people and the humans, but the humans became greedy and tried to take more than their share. This created a magical reaction that caused the island to be overrun with thorny vines. Bringing harmony back to the tree is the only way to restore the place. The way to do this is to grow produce and sell it in your shop. The history of the island might pique your interest, but no real storyline develops from there. There’s also little to no dialogue in the game, apart from Tomte and a few one-liners from the four nature spirits. It is this lack of conversation and companionship that makes the game a rather monotonous experience. You will also meet a mystical fox-like creature who lives in the tree, but he dislikes you immediately. Graphics The visuals of Sugardew Island make up a little bit for the lack of story. The visuals are cute, vibrant, and colorful. However, if you’ve played farming sims such as Story of Seasons, then the graphics in this game will be lacking a certain spark. Fortunately, the cute animals and adorable design of the forest folk make up for it. Sound The soundtrack doesn’t really stand out. The tunes are pleasant and appropriate for a farming game, but there’s little variety, and if you don’t pay attention to the music, you might not even notice it’s there. The game could have done better here. All in all, the sound design is extremely simple, and we expected a bit more for a title such as this. Gameplay Sugardew Island is a farming simulation game in which you have to sell your produce to revive the Harmony Tree. Growing your crops and selling them is the only thing that matters in this game. In the beginning, you may have trouble with the mechanics. Switching back and forth between the tools and trying to find seeds is tricky and takes a bit of getting used to. Also, the game doesn’t really offer a way to teach the mechanics. You have to figure things out for yourself, but once you get the hang of it, you shouldn’t have any problems. As the first human in an unknown amount of time, it’s up to you to restore harmony to the land and heal the tree. You do this by accepting quests from the tree. These quests simply involve selling a certain amount of goods in your shop. The quests are laid out as islands: Bunny Island, Deer Island, etc. Each has 5 levels, and every level requires a greater number of sold items to complete. Again, there is little explanation of how to do this. This makes the whole animal island-bit quite confusing. There’s also no depth to the quests, as all you have to do is sell your produce. And that’s Sugardew Island’s problem. Things get boring pretty quickly. All you have to do is get up, sow, water, fertilize, and wait. Other than that, all you can do is break rocks, chop down trees, and pull weeds. As your crops grow, you can harvest them and sell them in your shop, but that’s about it. On top of that, the controls aren’t the best either. It’s just hard to focus on a certain plant as the camera is forced into straight lines. You either get used to this or it will just get you frustrated instead. Plus, everything’s one button press at a time, so you’re doing the same thing over and over again. There are a couple of other things that you might find annoying. Firstly, during your shop’s opening hours, you’re fixed behind the counter and you can’t move. Next, the barn and livestock are pretty useless in this game. And lastly, you’ll find some adorable seashells laying around on the beach, but you can’t pick them up! We simply missed extra things to do. Conclusion The game needs more. A lot more. There are too many frustrations, and it just isn’t fun to press the same button over and over again. It’s nice that there are some romantic elements, but otherwise, there’s nothing really exciting going on. However, if working the land is your favorite part of these games, Sugardew Island should be high on your list. But if you want more than that, you might want to sit this one out.
Apr 4
Preview: I Can’t Wait for Mario Kart World Multiplayer
Mario Kart World is going to be the flagship Nintendo Switch 2 designed to entice us into adopting the console and highlight what sets it apart from the original system. Now, I didn’t get to try every element of the game, like the free driving across the world to see courses, the ways in which multiplayer can work with a smaller group, or the full-fledged, four course Grand Prix experiences we’re used to. However, I did get to be a Cow riding on a Cute Scoot and almost made it into the top 12 of a Knockout Tour, and that’s pretty great.
My first experience with Mario Kart World involved going through one track in Grand Prix against another person before heading into a single race on my own. In the case of the former, it was a slice of the game that was essentially predetermined. I could pick from a wide roster of already unlocked characters. Rather than skins, each version of a character is a different variant, so you would see standard Daisy and Swimsuit Daisy, and so on. I went with the Cow from Moo Moo Meadows, because of course I did, and initially picked a standard kart.
The good news is, all of your muscle memory from Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe release will kick in again. The controls are all the same, and the general “feel” of racing is as well. So you’ll lean into turns, drift to boost, and need to time your item attacks to send things careening forward and back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pE23YTYEZM
The change is that now each course feels like it is actually a road taking you on a journey. You aren’t looping around in circles. In one situation, I was going through an area that eventually turned forested, with dinosaurs roaming around. With the right timing, I went right up one’s head and back. We’ll go along roads. We’ll travel. We’ll see things change. This also means the weather will shift since we’re actually journeying around the world as we drive. In particular, the rain storm really struck me, as it meant a different in lighting, the rain was pouring down, and I can’t be certain, but it also almost felt like the road conditions maybe changed a bit?
The progression also means we’ll see a bit more types of roads, which also means different approaches to these elements. In the April 2025 Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, we saw characters grinding on rails. Well, that’s definitely present here! If you happen to get the new feather power-up, reminiscent of the Super Mario World item, you get a higher jump that makes it easier to get on top of these or reach different areas. However, I also ended up grinding after other situations that didn’t involve a standard jump. It offers a degree of safety, a little speed, and the ability to do the jump effect after for a quick boost.
The feather isn’t the only new type of power-up I found. Another vastly increased the size of my character and kart when I was playing as an especially dapper King Boo (complete with monocle) riding a Cute Scoot scooter in a single-player Grand Prix race. This allows you to just roll over everything, including enemies or NPC cars heading from the other direction. It’s so powerful. The other is that you can happen upon food trucks or stops that offer a regenerating bag of food. Snag one, and you get a power boost from the item that’s now trailing behind you.
But it was the Knockout Tour that most impressed me during my Switch 2 demo sessions. Part of this is because during that session, I got to sample free roaming. As you wait for everyone to show up, you can explore the course and area you’re in. This is fantastic for finding secrets you can exploit during the race, as well as just explore elements that you might never see during a race. I discovered one of those food truck options, a shortcut to another area, and realized that just dropping off the side of this area wouldn’t bring up a Lakitu to save me! Instead, I’d plummet to the bottom of the area and get to explore there too.
Once everyone showed up, we voted for the areas we wanted to race through. This works like multiplayer in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , in that everyone gets a vote, and randomly one person’s selection is chosen. From there, you ride! As you reach what would normally be the indicator of the next lap, you’ll see a number showing the cut-off for elimination. So initially it goes from 24 to 20. That number keeps dropping. I ended up being cut out of the top 12 in true Mario Kart fashion. That is, there were about five of us right there, it seemed like I was in ninth place, but someone had saved up some red shells and knocked me into 13th. Alas.
During my preview session, Mario Kart World felt like a reinvention of a game and series we love that only adds to the experience without detracting any of what we appreciate. The Grand Prix mode feels more traditional, even as the tracks instead send us traveling around the world. The Knockout Tour feels like a new way of helping us potentially be our best. We can be the Moo Moo from Moo Moo Meadow. What I saw left me wanting to see more, and I hope for the best for the final version of the game.
Mario Kart World will come to the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025.
The post Preview: I Can’t Wait for Mario Kart World Multiplayer appeared first on Siliconera .
Apr 3
Koira Free Download (v1.0.4)Koira Direct Download: Koira is a wholesome tale of friendship where you and your new puppy traverse a musical forest, solve ancient puzzles, befriend woodland creatures, and try to find your way home. Avoid danger along the way, as hunters lurk in the shadows… Bond with your new friend: feed it, take care of it, […]
The post Koira Free Download (v1.0.4) first appeared on WorldofPCGames .
Apr 3
Review: Grimoire Groves is a Cozy Rogue-Lite With a Few Thorns
There’s never a dull moment when you’re playing a rogue-like (or rogue-lite) dungeon crawler. At least, there shouldn’t be. The genre is filled to the brim with nonstop action experiences you can gorge on, but stand-out offers available know how to contextualize your runs into meaningful, engaging stories or settings. Hades redefined what these kinds of games could be. While many chase this new standard with similarly grim settings or serious moods, Grimoire Groves is a refreshing change. It's a solid case for delivering the promises of this genre through a much wider range of aesthetics and storytelling. However, the blooming strength of its presentation sprouts more than a few thorns that make cultivating a wholesome experience a bit of a chore.
Primrose is an upbeat and excitable witch-in-training. She has one more hurdle to cross before becoming a full-fledged sorceress: completing her apprenticeship with Lavender, an older, gentle witch who tends to her garden outside the eponymous Grimoire Groves. Upon arriving at the garden, Primrose notices its disarray. A quick trip into the forest itself reveals the Groves have been abandoned by the magical beings and special plants who used to live there. Lavender tasks Primrose with restoring the garden- and by extension the forest- to its former beauty. Bestowed with a magical watering can and a beginner level spell, Primrose must venture into the Grimoire Groves, use her plant-based magic to nurture the plant life back into the soil, and assist the residents of the forest with rebuilding their homes.
Screenshot by Siliconera
I’m a stickler for well-written, natural dialogue. When faced with a cutesy, high-energy title like Grimoire Groves , I always fear the writing is going to push it to the extreme. Situations where characters will be so impossibly sweet, or reactions intensely exaggerated, that it gives me second-hand embarrassment. I’m happy to say Grimoire Groves is remarkably even-handed in its approach. Primrose is bright and cheerful, and being easily excitable, can become equally frustrated or annoyed. Grimoire Groves is a vibrant explosion of color and adorable character designs, and balances this ambush of the senses with good comedic timing and a tinge of sarcasm. Primrose, Lavender, and the rest of the forest inhabitants had endeared me to the world I was exploring.
Despite its disarming exterior Grimoire Groves wants you to focus on the action. It only takes about 15 minutes to introduce you to its premise, some basic controls, and how to equip spells. Afterwards, it expects you to explore and discover many of its little intricacies for yourself. All runs start with choosing a biome to start your dungeon crawl in. You defeat enemies who drop important resources, encounter NPCs who might want those materials, and (maybe) fight a boss. Eventually, you return to the garden and dump everything you’ve collected into new spells, plants, and various shrines in need of repair. There’s a wonderful combination of whimsy and pride watching the garden magically spring back to life. Every new budding plant magically whisks away weeds and bramble. Every structure repaired creates a relaxing centerpiece marking your progress.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Unfortunately, that presentation and explorative freedom can get tangled up into a confusing and, at times, plodding experience. Grimoire Groves is in 2.5D, so it uses 2D objects inside of 3D space. This allows for a distinct, pop-up book look, but creates issues during combat. The plant creatures you’re “helping” into the ground have varying shapes and sizes. When fighting large groups, smaller plants can be hidden behind bigger ones, making it difficult to react to their attacks. In addition, not all enemy attacks feature the warning indicators that appear when casting your spells or entering a plant’s aggro range. Paired with the sheer amount of environmental objects on-screen and the color palettes of Grimoire Groves ’ multiple biomes being similar to those of the plants, your overall visibility of what’s going on can become very poor.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Progression through Grimoire Groves’ central storyline adds a menial element to gameplay that left me a little lost on how to proceed. To unlock boss fights for each biome, you have to complete the NPC quest blocking access to its arena. This usually involves running through the forest to find specific plants, and harvesting resources from them. Finding enough materials in a single run to complete these quests isn’t necessarily a guarantee. What’s more, you can’t bring materials from previous runs into new ones. Not unless you use a specific machine that isn’t always accessible in the dungeon when you need it.
The freedom to discover things on your own makes that early-game experience a bit frustrating. For instance, I made charms to raise max health or strengthen my spells, but had no idea how to equip them. It wasn’t until I finished building my first shrine that I learned shrines serve as equipment slots. This was after several hours of confusion and many failed runs, before I coincidentally built the shrine. Had I not run out of things to upgrade, it might've taken longer for me to find out. Expanding your abilities and discovering new features on your own is deeply exciting! Not so much when it causes you to miss integral features you’re expected to use in order to make progress.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Despite this, Grimoire Groves offers an overall satisfying gameplay experience. With only three spell slots and great diversity in the way spells interact with enemies, there are a ton of playstyles to develop. Although it takes a bit longer than I’d like to understand what I need to do to progress and how to do it, the cute character dialogue and expanding garden still gives me a sense of accomplishment once I do. Much like gardening, Grimoire Groves requires a little patience. But once you get past that initial struggle, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Grimoire Groves is available now on Steam.
The post Review: Grimoire Groves is a Cozy Rogue-Lite With a Few Thorns appeared first on Siliconera .
Mar 30
825 Forest Road Review – A Ghostly Misfire Lacking Scares and Originality
From Stephen Cognetti — the writer and director of the celebrated Hell House LLC franchise — comes 825 Forest Road, a blundered attempt at traumacore horror that feels redundant, dull and unnecessary. There’s little about this new film that feels frightening and even less that feels original. If you’re hoping for the type of “bad […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Mar 28
All Games Revealed in Japanese March 2025 Nintendo Direct
Nintendo published a new Nintendo Direct in late March 2025 , and as with prior editions, the Japanese side of the program has several exclusive games not shown in the American and European Directs. However, a majority of those only appeared in the short montages, such as Winning Post 10 2025 and Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You Emotional . The only Japan-exclusive game that had an extensive coverage in this Direct was Bandai Namco's Project:;COLD case.mirage .
This title is best described as an investigative adventure game. The player will be tasked by the mysterious boy Iori Heartfield to investigate the truth behind the fire incident at the Mirage Forest cafe that killed five girls. The game will practically turn the Switch's monitor into a desktop PC OS, and the player will use programs inside the in-game PC to collect information.
One of the game's highlights will be the Human Emulator program, where the player can interact with digitally constructed versions of the girls. Provisions of evidence that expose the girls' true selves will trigger a confrontational phase that can end in a BSOD game over screen when the player fails it.
Nintendo and Bandai Namco launched this game immediately after the Direct show had ended. However, this game is exclusively available on the Japanese eShop with only Japanese language supported.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CrElmjXQF0
Here is the complete list of games featured in the Japanese March 2025 Nintendo Direct with their Japanese release dates, sorted by order of appearance:
All in Abyss: Judge the Fake - April 10, 2025
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 - May 16, 2025
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake - 2025
Everybody's Golf World - 2025
Fantasy Life i - May 22, 2025
Gradius Origin Collection - August 7, 2025
Gundam SEED Battle Destiny Remastered - May 22, 2025
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy - April 24, 2025
Marvel Cosmic Invasion - Winter 2025
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond - 2025
No Sleep for Kaname Date - July 25, 2025
Onimusha 2 - May 23, 2025
Patapon 1+2 Replay - July 10, 2025
Pokemon Legends Z-A - Fall 2025
Project:;COLD case.mirage - Launches right after Direct
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army - June 19, 2025
Rhythm Heaven: Groove - 2026
Rusty Rabbit - April 17, 2025
Sanrio Characters Miracle Match - March 27, 2025
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered - Launches right after Direct
Shadow Labyrinth - July 17, 2025
Star Overdrive - April 10, 2025
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar - August 28, 2025
Super Robot Wars Y - 2025
Tamagotchi Plaza - June 26, 2025
Technos The World: Kunio-Kun & Arcade Collection - April 24, 2025
Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You Emotional - May 8, 2025
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream - 2026
Winning Post 10 2025 - March 27, 2025
Witchbrook - Winter 2025
Ys: Memories of Celceta - May 22, 2025
Project:;COLD case.mirage , the game exclusively revealed at the Japanese March 2025 Nintendo Direct, is immediately available on Nintendo Switch in Japan.
The post All Games Revealed in Japanese March 2025 Nintendo Direct appeared first on Siliconera .
Mar 27
Tales of Legendia Event Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
Bandai Namco announced that it will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Tales of Legendia with a new event coming to Chiba, Japan on July 27, 2025. A new key visual for the event has been revealed, alongside some details describing how the company will honor the PS2 JRPG .
So far only the venue of the event and some of the invited guests have been revealed. The venue is set as the Hall of the Forest 21 at Matsudo City in Chiba, Japan. Additionally, advance ticket sales for Asobi store premium members are now available until April 13, 2025. Tickets for the event cost 18,000 yen (~$119.65). At the time of writing, there is no information going over if new merchandise will appear at the event. More information and details will appear in the future.
You can also check out the new key visual here. It features all of the heroes of the game. So in the back row, from left to right, we see Jay, Norma Beatty, and Will Raynard. The middle row features Moses Sandor, Shirley Fennes, and Grune. At the very front, we see Chloe Valens and Senel Coolidge.
Image via Bandai Namco
The Japanese voice actors for the main cast of Tales of Legendia will also appear as special guests, including protagonist Senel Coolidge voice actor Kenichi Suzumura, as well as Ryo Hirohashi who voices Shirley Fennes, Will Raynard's voice actor Susumu Chiba, Chloe Valens' VA Masumi Asano, Ryoko Shiraishi who voices Jay, Grune's VA Ayako Kawasumi, and Stella Telmes' voice actor Mie Sonozaki.
The Tales of Legendia 20th Anniversary Party event will be held on July 27, 2025 in Chiba, Japan. The game originally came out for the PlayStation 2 on August 25, 2005 in Japan, and would later see its North American release date on February 7, 2006.
The post Tales of Legendia Event Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary appeared first on Siliconera .
Mar 26
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 Adds A Grand Hub, Mizutsune, And More
Monster Hunter Wilds is great, but fans of the series know that the games are about much more than their initial releases. Yesterday's Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase proved exactly that, giving us a clear look at the first major update while planting seeds for future events.
The update in question, known as Title Update 1, will be free to download on Friday, April 4, and brings a variety of new content to the game. For starters, it ushers the return of Mizutsune, a Leviathan with bubble-based abilities that last appeared in Monster Hunter Rise. After players reach HR 21, they'll be able to unlock the new monster with a quest from Kanya in the Scarlet Forest. After reaching HR 50, Hunters playing Title Update 1 will also be able to encounter Arch Tempered Rey Dau and Zoh Shia, which can provide new armor sets to be crafted and equipped.
A trio of new quest types is also coming to Wilds. Arena, Challenge, and Free Challenge quests each task the player with defeating certain monsters within a time limit. While Arena and Challenge quests limit your gear and cap your party at two players, Free Challenge quests are open to a full party using whatever armor and weapons they like. Perform well enough, and you'll end up on the Expedition Record Board, which awards high-scoring hunters with unique weapon charms.
A new gathering point called the Grand Hub also comes with Title Update 1, adding a large common area (like those found in many prior games in the series) where players can gather, play minigames, and prepare for hunts. You can share one of the series' notoriously mouthwatering meals with your party, catch fish, or go bowling with large explosive barrels. The Grand Hub will also host the Festival of Accord: Blossomdance from April 23 to May 7, adding unique meals, limited-time equipment, cosmetics, and more. It will be the first of many seasonal festivals.
Additionally, April 4 is the day Cosmetic DLC Pack 1 will be available for download, adding new gestures, cosmetic armor, and character customization options. It's included in the Cosmetic DLC Pass but can also be purchased separately. The store will also get new paid cosmetics not included in the DLC pass. Additionally, free cosmetics will be added for all players, like a new outfit for Alma and a set of classic gestures.
Title Update 1 comes to Monster Hunter Wilds on April 4. Capcom also hinted that the game would receive another update in late May, and a full title update later this summer. For more Monster Hunter Wilds, you can check out our review , where we said, "Once you get your bearings, Monster Hunter Wilds is a delight, bringing Monster Hunter World's carefully crafted gameplay loop to the next level."
Mar 26
Drive Beyond Horizons Free Download (Build 911)Drive Beyond Horizons Direct Download: Embark on an epic journey of exploration and adventure in Drive Beyond Horizons! Roam through expansive, procedurally generated landscapes in your customizable vehicle, from vast deserts to lush forests. Experience the thrill of discovery as you uncover hidden secrets and face unique challenges along the way. With stunning visuals, dynamic […]
The post Drive Beyond Horizons Free Download (Build 911) first appeared on WorldofPCGames .
Mar 26
Monster Hunter Wilds First Free Update Release Date Set
Capcom has announced that the first free title update for Monster Hunter Wilds will release on April 4, 2025. The update will let players fight Mizutsune and Zoh Shia in the latest entry in the series , as well as a new hub area and various free cosmetics.
The announcement was made during a Youtube livestream showcasing the other features of the update. The ability to hunt the Mizutsune, as well as craft its associated weapons and armor, will appear after reaching Hunter Rank 21 and talking to Kanya in the Scarlet Forest base camp. Players who reach at least HR 50 will also be able to hunt Zoh Shia again and craft its weapons. They will also be able to take on a new Arch-Tempered Rey Dau, once it is added at the end of April 2025. A new gathering hub will also be available called the Grand Hub, which features a Barrel Bowling minigame, a Wyverian performance, and Seasonal Events such as the Blossomdance. That first Seasonal Event is set to begin on April 22, 2025. Another title update is also planned for Summer 2025, with a stinger teasing the return of the fan-favorite Lagiacrus from Monster Hunter Tri/3u .
You can watch the showcase stream yourself via Youtube below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZoCy3F4J_A
Capcom announced the showcase earlier in March 2025 alongside a brief announcement trailer. Meanwhile in Japan, Capcom Cafes in Tokyo and Osaka are set to serve up a new Monster Hunter -themed menu over March and April 2025.
The first free title update for Monster Hunter Wilds is schedule to release on April 4, 2025. The game itself is readily available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The post Monster Hunter Wilds First Free Update Release Date Set appeared first on Siliconera .
Mar 25
Forestrike Hands-on Preview – Fists of furyThe post Forestrike Hands-on Preview – Fists of fury appeared first on Checkpoint .
Mar 24
The ForestAs the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.
